By the Pricking of My TumbsDejaVu All Over Again
by Ghislaine Emrys
Summary: Kid can't figure out why Heyes is acting strangely but Heyes' secret just might end the partnership.


**BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS OR DEJA-VU ALL OVER AGAIN**

Kid Curry slumped over his whisky in yet another shabby saloon, in yet another small town, in the middle of nowhere much.

A saloon gal wandered over to try her luck at getting a little business on a dreary midweek afternoon. One look at the hostility born of utter misery in those blue eyes, scowling out from under a rain-splattered brown brim changed her mind. This was a man who didn't want to talk. Not yet anyhow. Maybe not for a long time.

Kid tapped his glass to order a refill of the whiskey so far removed from being the 'good stuff' he reckoned they oughta pay him to drink it. He didn't care. He just wanted to get drunk and do it quick. He wanted to forget. Forget about what had happened. Forget about Heyes. Forget about their years together. Forget he'd ever had a partner. Forget he was alone. Alone forever. Heyes was the past. Gone. Done with.

* * *

A WEEK EARLIER...

Kid and Heyes were in some nameless saloon in some nameless town, playin' poker. Hey, that was pretty normal, huh? So why did he have a feeling somethin' terrible was gonna happen?

It wasn't because Heyes was winnin' and he was losin'. That was pretty normal, too. It wasn't because the prettiest saloon gal was castin' not-so-furtive glances at him neither. That happened a lot. Not that he minded. It wasn't even because some cowpoke drifter even dirtier than they were called Heyes a cheat. That was also pretty normal. And it was normal for Heyes to try and talk the man down, and normal for the man to be too riled up to see reason, and normal for Kid to take over.

Except, this time, he didn't. Kid saw the warning signs but before he could clear leather, Heyes had shot the cowpoke's gun outta his hand. Sheesh, that was fast! He heard the mutters and realized he was staring at his partner.

"I need a drink," he muttered to himself, and he went and got two whiskeys from the bartender. He drank them both, still not sure what had just happened.

* * *

FOUR DAYS EARLIER…

Kid and Heyes were in another nameless saloon in another nameless town. Nothin' outta the ordinary there, huh? So why did he have a feeling somethin' bad was gonna happen?

They ordered whiskey and took the glasses and bottle over to an empty table. The saloon was only about half full, it bein' early in the evening yet. Kid and Heyes had drunk about half the bottle, tryin' to decide what to do next. They needed money and, well, Kid thought ruefully, arguin' with Heyes was like arguin' with the wind. He took hold of your words and flung them aside like they were as light as the air itself. Another ordinary evening in a very ordinary town.

But then, something changed.

"All right," said Heyes. "You want that job so bad, we'll do it."

"You mean you agree with me?" Kid couldn't help asking, incredulously.

And so the next day they became trappers and started tracking mountain lions. Except, it was Heyes who was doing all the trackin' and Kid who was readin' the signs wrong.

"Kid, I'm telling you, these tracks are an hour fresh."

"No, they ain't, Heyes. You can tell by how dry they are; they're a day old already."

"And I'll say it again. It's so hot out, they dried up faster than normal. Trust me on this—I know what I'm talking about!"

"Hmmph!" Kid was about to remind his partner they both knew he was the better tracker when suddenly a large, yellow-haired, four-footed and very angry creature that looked a lot like a cougar jumped out of nowhere and would have landed on Kid's back if he hadn't heard Heyes yell a warning, which he instantly obeyed.

Dang! How had Heyes known that varmint was there?

* * *

YESTERDAY…

Kid and Heyes were in a no-name saloon in a no-name town. Pretty typical for two men who didn't spend more than a few days in one place, right? So why did he have a feeling somethin' really awful was gonna happen?

The piano player was tryin' to play a fancy tune but the instrument was just a bit too old and a bit too banged up to be good. Like some of the people in here, Kid thought, as he swept his eyes over the saloon gals, townsfolk, and his partner.

Glancing up at the mirror over the bar, Kid saw the prettiest saloon gal watchin' him and Heyes. He smiled at her and with a nod of his head, indicated she should join them at their table. He turned around and watched her approach.

Patting the chair next to him, Kid was shocked when the girl sat instead in Heyes' lap. Kid's mug of beer found his open mouth before his partner noticed. With narrowed eyes, he sat, speechless, as Heyes escorted the girl upstairs.

In all their time together, Kid could not recall one instance when a saloon gal ignored him. How could such a thing have happened?

* * *

THIS MORNING…

Kid woke to the smell of coffee. It smelled delicious. Something was wrong. Heyes' coffee never smelled delicious. It usually smelled…burnt. Yeah, that was a nice way of puttin' it. Kid grinned to himself.

Then he tasted it. Sheesh! It even tasted good! Something was definitely wrong. What had gotten into his partner lately?

* * *

MIDDAY…

Lunch at a restaurant somewhere. They both ordered the beef stew and biscuits. They both liked beef stew and biscuits. Kid liked beef stew and biscuits a lot. Usually. Actually, Kid'd usually eat anything. If it had beef in it, that was just a bonus. The biscuits were baked beautifully, the stew was stirred to perfection.

Heyes wolfed it down. Something was wrong. How come Heyes was eatin' faster than he was? Usually, Heyes had to be prodded to finish even half his meals.

Kid looked at the stew and felt strange. He took a bite of the biscuit and it tasted…unusual. He put his fork down and looked at his partner.

"Something wrong, Kid?"

"Somethin' don't feel right."

"You ain't getting' sick, are you?"

"Don't think so. Just not hungry all of a sudden."

"You're right, Kid. That IS strange!" Heyes laughed to himself but was careful to keep the grin off his face.

"Think I'll go lie down for a bit, Heyes."

"All right. Can I have the rest of your food, then?"

Kid's last thought before he sunk into a deep sleep in their hotel room was that Heyes had been actin' real strange the past week.

* * *

TWENTY MINUTES AGO…

Kid woke up and splashed water on his face before he saw it. Sticking out of his partner's saddlebag that was draped carelessly across the back of a chair, there it was. Something strange. Something not wonderful.

As soon as Kid touched it, he felt a shock. Like a bolt of lightning, a snake bite, a gunshot wound—all at once. But when he looked at it closely, he got an even bigger shock. It was a doll. But not an ordinary doll. This doll was…HEYES!

From the black hat to the white henley under the deep blue shirt down to the tan pants tucked into the brown boots, it was an exact likeness of his partner. It was a miniature Heyes. Where in Sam Hill had he gotten hold of that?

Just like Heyes! Kid shook his head in annoyance. He carried the doll over to the window to get a good look at it. Hey! What were those things sticking in its hands and head? Kid examined the thing carefully but couldn't figure it out. Looked ugly with them things, though, so Kid pulled them out and flicked them into the spittoon one by one, always looking for a way to practice his aim.

He took the doll with him and finally found Heyes in a saloon. One of those looks-like-all-the-other-dang-saloons-we-ever-been-in saloons.

Heyes was doin' that five pat hand card trick again. Only, this time, he couldn't quite seem to make five pat hands. He got as far as four, and then got stuck. He looked up with a puzzled frown on his face.

"Hiya, Kid."

"Howdy, Heyes. What's the matter?"

"Dunno. Something's wrong. I can't make five pat hands. Been here an hour, tried a dozen times at least. Just can't do it."

Then Heyes saw what Kid was holding, and he sucked in his breath. "Where'd you get that?"

"In our room. What's it for?"

Heyes grabbed it out of Kid's hands. "Where's the…the…?"

"What? Those pin things?" Kid couldn't see why his partner was so upset. "It looked a lot better without 'em, so I threw 'em away."

Heyes' head dropped into his hands. He moaned.

"What'd you say?" Kid asked suspiciously.

Heyes didn't answer.

"Heyes…?"

Still no coherent answer, but Kid did hear a mumble. Or maybe it was another moan.

"All right, Heyes. Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go buy us a drink, and by the time I get back here, you better be ready to tell me what's goin' on. You got that?" Without waiting for a response, Kid strode over to the bar and ordered two whiskeys.

As the bartender poured the drinks, Kid watched Heyes in the mirror. Heyes was readin' a book. No surprise there. But when he realized Kid had seen him, Heyes hastily put it in his coat pocket.

Undeterred, Kid plonked the glasses on the table and fished out the book. He took one look at it and exploded.

"What the…? Are you outta your mind? How could you buy this and not tell me? Some partner you are! Where'd you find this, anyway?"

Heyes sat there, mute. Nothing he could say could make it better.

Without a word, Kid drew back his hand and curled his fingers into a fist.

Heyes just sat there, staring at him.

Slowly, Kid lowered his arm and resisted the urge to flatten his partner. His now former partner. He turned on his heel and left the saloon.

* * *

NOW…

Kid Curry slumped over his whisky in yet another shabby saloon, in yet another small town, in the middle of nowhere much.

He wanted to forget. Forget about what had happened. Forget about Heyes. Forget about their years together. Forget he'd ever had a partner. Forget he was alone. Alone forever. Heyes was the past. Gone. Done with.

He'd never forgive him.

* * *

NOW…

In the other saloon, Heyes picked up the book and reread the name of the title and author: "Voodoo for Dummies," by Michelle Monet. What on earth had ever possessed him?

* * *

_Author's Note: According to the references I consulted for this story, voodoo dolls are more often used for positive purposes than negative ones. Sticking pins in a doll is a way to associate a name with the doll rather than cause harm to another person. Voodoo dolls can be used to, among other things, give power to a person._


End file.
